A New Rhythm in RiNo: Designing Two Moons Music Hall
Two Moons is equal parts music venue, cocktail bar, and community hub. And at the heart of its shape-shifting charm is a smart, layered design brought to life by Unum Collaborative.
If Two Moons Music Hall were a person, it’d be the person who can jump into any conversation with just the right amount of charm, and knows exactly when to bow out of a conversation to hit the dance floor. In other words: cool, a little unpredictable, and always in motion. Tucked into Denver’s RiNo, or River North Art District, neighborhood—an area that’s shaken off its industrial roots to become one of the city’s creative hubs—Two Moons is equal parts music venue, cocktail bar, and community hub. And at the heart of its shape-shifting charm is a smart, layered design brought to life by Unum Collaborative.
What RiNo Was Missing
The venue rethinks what it means to gather, perform, and linger. Unum’s Adam Steinbach describes Two Moons as a sort of design experiment in flexibility. “It’s a big volume space, which can feel a little impersonal,” he says. “So we focused on carving out intimacy in unexpected ways.”
Think lowered soffits over the bar to cozy things up, sunken conversation pits, and a processional-style entrance experience that doubles as a bit of theater. Instead of walking straight into a cavernous room, guests zig-zag into the venue, gradually immersing themselves in the experience. It’s part accessibility solution, part setting the stage for how the space can be used.
Originally a CBD processing warehouse, the almost 4,000-square-foot space sits just off a stretch of breweries, distilleries, and art spaces. It fills a key gap in Denver’s live music scene—offering a venue that’s neither a 10,000-seat concert hall nor a dive bar basement. “We wanted it to feel personal, but still big enough to hold some energy,” says Steinbach.
Choose Your Own Adventure
Rather than covering up the history of the space, the goal was to embrace the unique character. One of the design challenges was working with the elevated dock-style floor leftover from the building’s warehouse days. Instead of hiding the elevation change, the team at Unum leaned into it—literally. The resulting interior includes tiered seating levels and framed viewlines that let passersby glimpse the action from the street. It’s designed so people can choose their own adventure: post up in the pit, lean against the bar, or lurk with intention from a slightly removed perch.
As Steinbach puts it, “It’s a space that can be a full-body experience—or a people-watching mission. Totally up to you.”
The Supporting Acts
And about those bars: Two Moons has two of them. Because one bar is never enough when your programming ranges from spoken word to country nights. This is where Grand Rapids Chair enters the picture—with furniture that matches the vibe without trying too hard. The Sally Barstool was the starting point. “It’s classic,” Steinbach says. “Feels familiar in a good way, but has this cleaner, modern silhouette. And the natural wood really clicked with the rest of our palette.”
Did you know? The Sally Stool is available in freestanding and bolt-down variations.
Too Cool For School
From there, the team brought in the Reese Barstools and Chairs for the second bar and café-style seating. Their schoolhouse-inspired shapes added a quiet nostalgia to the space—think: mid-century chairs you’d find in your old elementary school classroom, but with much more sophistication. “There’s this timelessness to them,” Steinbach adds. “They don’t scream for attention, but they feel right—like they’ve always been here" making Reece a perfect compliment for the tone of the space.
Bonus: the Reese stools are light enough to move around, which made them perfect for a bar that needs to adapt depending on the event. Want people dancing up front? Slide the stools away or stack the chairs to save space. Want a low-key happy hour? Bring them back. It’s all part of the Two Moons magic.
Learn More: Explore Grand Rapids Chair's stacking seating options.
A "Graphic" Pop
The Opla Chairs also made an appearance in the social pit that serves as a transitional space from the street into the venue. Adding another layer of flexibility and visual texture to the space, Opla provided a minimal yet graphic detail, playing well with the more grounded, wood-forward elements throughout the pit. Paired with the coordinating Opla Round Table, the duo bring a monochromatic pop of color, utilizing a Brown Red paint job.
Learn More: Explore Grand Rapids Chair's standard finish options.
So no, this isn’t a space trying to do everything. It’s just really good at being a little bit of everything—without losing its center. Two Moons is what happens when thoughtful design, functional furniture, and a healthy disregard for the expected come together under one roof. It doesn’t just host a night out—it kind of reinvents it every time.
